A great number of attachments have been presented in the prior art for use with ladders, to help the person using the ladder by holding a variety of tools, implements and supplies, and keeping those articles readily available for the person working on the ladder. The prior art utility trays vary depending upon where and how they are attached to the ladder, and to some extent the type of ladders with which they are used. Thus devices which are attachable to the side rails or rungs may often be used with both stepladders and with extension type ladders, whereas devices attached to the top of the ladder would ordinarily be used only with stepladders.
Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,810 discloses a ladder caddy which may be attached to any rung of a ladder, on the front, i.e. the user side, of the ladder, and has a tray portion and a variety of openings, all for the purpose of holding tools, supplies and the like readily at hand.
Other U.S. Pat. Nos. such as 4,515,242, 4,550,803 and 5,106,045 disclose other types of utility attachments which are adapted to be attached to the side rail of a ladder, for holding tools and the like so they may be easily reached by the user.
Still other U.S. Pat. Nos. such as 4,653,608, 4,862,994 and 5,342,008 disclose attachments which are constructed so as to be attached to a ladder on the rear, i.e. opposite the user, for holding tools and the like while the ladder is in use.
Other devices are constructed so as to be used on the top of a stepladder, such as the ladder "apron" disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,453.
The prior art devices have all proposed useable devices, but the commercial success of most prior art devices has been limited by the relatively narrow capability of use of the attachments. In other words, a device which is attached to the side of a ladder may work quite well for holding tools, hardware, paint, and the like on the ladder, but when the user moves off of the ladder, the device remains attached with the tools, hardware, paint and the like. One device has sought to overcome this problem, and is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,263. This device is a tool tray which is relatively easily removable from the stepladder. A retractable ladder engaging handle extends for attaching the tray to the stepladder, and retracts out of the way when being carried by the user. The tray is removed by lifting the tray over the top of the ladder.
The present invention relates to an improved utility tray for stepladders which may be easily removed from the ladder and used as a tool caddy or tote tray when so removed. In this manner, the user may work on the ground, and then as the job may require, he may carry his tools etc. with him and climb a ladder with the tray, which is then secured to the ladder while working on the ladder.
Thus, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a utility tray for carrying tools, hardware, and the like which may be readily attached to stepladders.
Another object of the invention is to provide a utility tray which has no moving parts.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide a utility tray which may be attached to a stepladder without any modification of the ladder.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide an improved utility tray which may be used to carry tools, hardware and the like on a jobsite and easily attached to a stepladder when needed.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a detailed consideration of the present specification and drawings, together with the accompanying claims.